Sergio Oliva 'The Myth' - Workout For Big Arms

Sergio Oliva is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, the only bodybuilder to ever beat Arnold Schwarzenegger at Olympia. Even he was known for his rivalry with Arnold, they were good friends and the Austrian Oak always respected him a lot. In one interview after Sergio's death Arnold said:

"Sergio Oliva was one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time and a true friend. A fierce competitor with a big personality - one of a kind"

'The Myth'  as people often call Sergio Oliva, is still well known for the incredible size and perfect definition he had. Sergio had the biggest arms among all famous bodybuilders of that time.

As a huge fan of Old-School Bodybuilding, I recently got a very old bodybuilding magazine in which I found his old photos and arms workout.

Sergio loved doing supersets on arms days and he recommended them to all lifters that didn't try doing biceps and triceps supersets. He favored supersets because they are a time saver and as he said they made him attack his arms more fiercely and forced them to grow faster.

He considered a Barbell Biceps Curl as the most effective exercise for biceps. Doing heavy curls with a rep range from 6 - 10 and with a good form was his secret for building a big biceps. The key is in performing the curls using a full range of motion and without using a momentum to lift a barbell.

To get a pump he used to do a superset of Barbell Biceps Curls with Dumbbell Biceps Curls which he performed with lighter weight and from different angles.

Seated Dumbbell Biceps Curl

Triceps Pushdown on Lat Machine

Lying Barbell Triceps Extension

Another exercise that he used to build his huge biceps was Preacher Curl either using Barbell or Dumbbells.

Some of the exercises that he used for building his triceps were Triceps Pushdown and Lying Barbell Triceps Extension.

First 5 Mr. Olympia Winners

Mr. Olympia contest was invented by Joe Weider who created the contest to enable the Mr. Universe winners to continue competing and earn money. Even since the first Mr. Olympia win in 1965, this competition is still famous worldwide and every year bodybuilding fans across the globe are guessing who will be the next Mr. Olympia title holder. 

1. Larry Scott

First Mr. Olympia winner ever was Larry Scott who won two Mr. Olympia titles in the 1960s, one in 1965 and second in 1966. Larry Scott retired after his second victory. He is still known as the first Mr. Olympia title holder. 

2. Sergio Oliva 

Sergio Oliva, known as "The Myth" was the winner of Mr. Olympia contest after Larry Scott. He made three consecutive winnings, 1967, 1968, and in 1969 when one of the most famous bodybuilders Arnold Schwarzenegger also competed. 

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger

First Mr. Olympia that Arnold won was in 1970 when he defeated Sergio Oliva and other competitors. In the 1970s there was much competition between Schwarzenegger and Oliva. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the only man then that was able to match Sergio Oliva's muscularity and size. Judges chose Arnold because of his amazing definition and he won Mr. Olympia title six times in a row. After his win in 1975, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a retirement. 

4. Franco Columbu

In 1976, when contest moved to Columbus, Ohio the Mr. Olympia title was won by Franco Columbu. Columbu was competing five times before his win and he retired after that victory. 

5. Frank Zane

While not as physically massive as other Mr. Olympia competitors, Frank Zane's body was very symmetric and defined. Many competitors that were bigger than Frank Zane lacked his level of muscular definition. Zane won three titles in a row in 1977, 1978 and 1979. Unluckily for him, Arnold Schwarzenegger showed again in 1980 Mr. Olympia contest and won the title. 

Check out the workout routine that Frank Zane followed to gain more muscle mass before his first competition:

Frank Zane Workout Routine for Muscle Growth

After Frank Zane's three consecutive Mr. Olympia wins many people wondered is it possible to break Arnold's record but nobody knew that Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to show in a contest in 1980. That was Arnold's seventh title win.